Are today’s evangelical Christians going to miss the opportunity to be peacemakers in this generation? Generational blind spots have caused many Christians to miss the blessing of following Jesus as a peacemaker in the issues of their day—slavery, human rights of Native Americans, Japanese who were interned in camps during WWII, minorities during the civil rights era, etc. Is the issue of how we treat our Muslim neighbors nearby or around the world going to be another one of those missed opportunities?

Recently, I had the privilege of speaking to a group of North Carolina homeschoolers and then leading them on a tour of their neighborhood mosque.A few minutes before we went across the street to the mosque, I asked the kids if they had ever been to a mosque and how they were feeling about our pending visit.

People like learning from experts. And better yet, experts who not only know their stuff but who give good advice based on personal experiences. As we learn from them and experience for ourselves the truth of what they have to teach, they become more credible. They are teachers we can trust. In Indonesia we have a phrase for people like this: sudah makan banyak garam, which literally means people who "have eaten much salt." People who eat much salt have a lot of life experience and know what they are talking about.

The year from spring 2011 to the coming spring of 2012 has been a year full of women proclaiming “Peace!” at the top of their lungs. Not quiet wishes for tranquility or ease, but bold pushes toward equity and right-ness, even as they are buffeted in the process.

Here I begin a series on faith and poverty, spurred on by a Lenten program at my church focused on the poor. In a blog about Fair Trade I explored some of the complexities of the notion of poverty, emphasizing in particular the unjust structures of global trade that hinder the economic development of the poorest countries. 

You are already aware of what comes to mind when people think of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I just spent 10 days in the Holy Land and I now have a new way of seeing the threats on Israelis and the occupation of the Palestinians. The conflict is no longer just about religion, land, and justice. It is about real people and friends that I have made there. I heard stories from both sides (this is my second time there). I have seen their pain, faced my own prejudice, and learned a lot about peacemaking. 

Peacemaking is not rocket science. Ultimately, it’s about friendship, and Rabbi Solomon and Steve LaSala masterfully modeled the three foundational steps of friend-making. I encourage you to follow their example by beginning a friendship with someone whose perspective is different than your own!

David L. Johnston has just written an article in response to last week's Newsweek cover article, “The Global War on Christians in the Muslim World,” by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

Can any parallels be drawn between the behavior of Ahmadinejad in Iran and dispensational Christianity?